The sonorous sound emitted by two-stroke bikes filled the air as the 200-plus motorcycles from legendary brands Jawa and Yezdi made their way to congregate at an arena in Egmore for the celebration of the 21st International Jawa Yezdi Day, today.
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Jointly organised by the Chennai-based Roaring Riders Club and Reborn Riders, the event saw owners of Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles, both new and old, and likeminded enthusiasts meet and show off their prized motor.
Apart from making the parking lot sparkle, the motorcycles, which were lined up in unison, provided onlookers two-stroke eargasm! Of course, one could not hope to miss the smell of petrol that accompanied either.
Speaking to Indulge, Srinivasan Kashyap from Roaring Riders Club, a 20-year-old club based in the city, said the International Jawa Yezdi Day is celebrated worldwide every year on the second Sunday of July.
Owner of the Jawa Perak himself, Srinivasan said, "The brand Jawa unites us. The oldest motorcycle here is a 1960's Jawa and there are the latest models, like the Perak, here as well."
However, like every petrolhead, Srinivasan says his heart goes to the classic Jawas, despite claiming that the new machines are "beautiful". "You cannot compare both (the classic and modern machines). The old ones can be fixed up easily, while the new ones have a lot of sensors. But, the new machines take you over longer distances with ease," he stated.
His sentiments were echoed by other Jawa and Yezdi owners as well. What's more, the bikers also know that a potential ban on petrol-powered motorcycles might not be far away. But, they are ready to accept the change as they did when the two-stroke models were replaced by four-stroke machines.
Jawa Yezdi Motorcycles are now owned by Classic Legends whose parent company is Mahindra & Mahindra.